| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with Scania AB, to create AB Scania-Vabis |
| Founded | 1891-1911 |
| Headquarters | Södertälje, Sweden |
| Products | Trucks, Railroad cars |
Vabis was a Swedish car and truck manufacturer, founded in 1891 as Vagnfabriks Aktiebolaget i Södertälje in municipality of Södertälje to produce railway cars.
The first Vabis automobile (though the name was not applied until after this)[1] was a four-seater designed by Gustaf Erikson in Surahammar[2] in 1897. Strongly resembling a contemporary carriage,[3] it used a one-cylinder kerosene engine, tiller steering,[3] and was not a success. Erikson replaced it with a tube-ignition four-stroke flat-twin in 1898, mounting it in a horse carriage, which he drove briefly.[2] He then joined Vagnfabrik AB at Södertälje, building cars. The first truck appeared in 1902.
Vabis merged with Maskinfabriks AB Scania in 1911, to create AB Scania-Vabis.
Many examples of Vabis, Scania and Scania-Vabis commercial and military vehicles can be seen at the Marcus Wallenberg-hallen (the Scania Museum) in Södertälje.